Otago Girls High School: Kelsey Brown

Kelsey Brown
Kelsey Brown
"Most days, I'm up with the birds and I seldom get home before dark.''

It's a busy life, but one Otago Girls High School head prefect Kelsey Brown (18) finds fulfilling.

While school occupies most of her daily schedule, speech competitions, debating, student council, the board of trustees and sports also get crammed in to any time left over.

Kelsey has had NCEA level 1 and 2 endorsed with excellence and has won Scholar Blues (2007-08).

But outside her busy classroom activities, she is even busier as a public speaker.

This year, she won the Otago Regional Race Unity Speech Competition and was a national finalist in the competition.

She has also won the school's annual speech competition for the past five years, been awarded Public Speaking Blues in 2008 and is the captain of the school's senior A debating team.

When it comes to leadership, Kelsey is dedicated to representing her fellow pupils.

She is a student representative on the board of trustees (2008-09); a student councillor (2005-09); a peer support student; a founder of the Otago Girls High School Race Unity Student Group; and a cultural co-ordinator for debating, Maori students and public speaking.

And then there is Kelsey's passion for basketball and volleyball.

She is captain of the senior A basketball team, a member of the senior B volleyball team and has coached junior basketball and netball for the past two years.

Although some days are tiring, Kelsey says it all pays off in the end.

The support of family and friends gets her through.

‘‘If I just went home after school and watched TV every day, I wouldn't have as many friends and I wouldn't be as well rounded. School's a big part of life, but not the only part.''

Achievements: Head prefect (2009); form captain (2006, 2007 and 2009); NCEA Level 1 and 2 endorsed with excellence; Otago Race Unity Speech Competition winner (2009); senior A basketball captain; senior A debating team; board of trustees representative (2008-09); Scholar and Public Speaking Blues (2007-08).

Role models: ‘‘My great-grandmother May Fyfe, Martin Luther King, Gandhi and Te Puea Herangi- because of their leadership skills and their compassion towards others.''

Hopes for the future: To study psychology and law at the University of Otago.

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